The following is re-printed from The Telegraph. Author: Murray Waldrop. Read the original post here.
Earth has entered a new age of geological time
Humans have wrought such vast and unprecedented changes on the planet that we may be ushering in a new period of geological history.
Through pollution, population growth, urbanisation, travel, mining and use of fossil fuels we have altered the planet in ways which will be felt for millions of years, experts believe.
It is feared that the damage mankind has inflicted will lead to the sixth largest mass extinction in Earth’s history with thousands of plants and animals being wiped out.
The new epoch, called the Anthropocene – meaning new man – would be the first period of geological time shaped by the action of a single species.
Although the term has been in informal use among scientists for more than a decade, it is now under consideration as an official term.
A new working group of experts has now been established to gather all the evidence which would support recognising it as the successor to the current Holocene epoch.
It will consider changes human activities have brought to Earth’s biodiversity and rock structure as well as the impact of factors including pollution and mineral extraction.
It is hoped that within three years, their case will be presented to the International Union of Geological Sciences, which would decide whether the transition to a new epoch has been made.
The theory has been proposed by a group of scientists, including Paul Crutzen, the Nobel Prize-winning atmospheric chemist, in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.
They conclude: “The Anthropocene represents a new phase in the history of both humankind and of the Earth, when natural forces and human forces became intertwined, so that the fate of one determines the fate of the other. Geologically, this is a remarkable episode in the history of this planet.”
Dr Jan Zalasiewicz, of the University of Leicester, co-author of the paper, added: “It is suggested that we are in the train of producing a catastrophic mass extinction to rival the five previous great losses of species and organisms in Earth’s geological past.”
This is very sad to me … I see life and the planet on which we live as such a wonderful gift that we have been given … and to see how we have been and are continuing to abuse it … and then to think of the consequences of this abuse – not only to nature in general, but also to us humans as well … to think of the millions upon millions of people (as well as other species) that will be dying and the great many who already have …
As the Good Book says, ” The wages of sin … is death …” I hate to say it, but (even as I continue to do my part to be a good steward of the Earth) the small part of me that still believes mankind may yet turn things around … is more and more overshadowed by the bigger part of me that, as a Christian, believes it will only be the Lord Himself Who will be the One to save us from ourselves when He returns again …
Bob, well, we tend to associate the “age of humans” with destructiveness on Earth. But it doesn’t have to be that way. If people could only recognize the inextricable link between Earth and its human population … we could create a golden age.
Awareness and intelligence are key.
Thanks for your comment!
Deborah
why must the world be destroyed for our trivial possesions, when people stop seeing posseisons as happiness we may be able to dig ourselevs out of this mess. still its ironic that im saying this on a computor :)
Manning, I don’t think of computers as trivial. They’re what let us all talk to each other, and, especially at this time in history, connection between people is valuable.
Thanks for commenting!
Deborah
Dear Deborah,
If it turns out that your path to knowledge is NOT somehow on the correct track, then I fear all we claim to be protecting and preserving will be lost. Yes, I believe you are right in noticing humanity’s awareness and intelligence are desperately needed now for the purpose of gaining a more adequate, mutually shared understanding of reality.
Silence cannot be allowed to defeat science.
Denial of what awareness and intelligence shows us to be real has to be directly confronted and speedily overcome.
Sincerely,
Steve
Maybe you had this recently on EarthSky but I missed it. Please tell us how Iceland’s volcanic eruption will impact our coming winter.
Dost pekny blogpost, dakujem.